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Massive forest fires forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain, with residents fleeing towns near Madrid and Bordeaux as the flames raged out of control. Firefighters and authorities in both European countries on Friday were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fuelled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change. Firefighters in Spain admitted the fires were so fast and violent that they could not be tackled head on. Some people even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic area on France's Atlantic coast. Some 141,000 fled homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. In central Spain, 60,000 were forced from their homes, according to the Spanish interior ministry. Dozens of French firefighters were injured, authorities said, but no deaths were reported in either country despite the scenes of panic as townsfolk fled by car and police went d
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday embarked on state visits to Moldova, North Macedonia, and Romania to further relations with the three countries in a range of sectors, including trade and technology, and to boost people-to-people ties. The first leg of her tour will start with a visit to Moldova on Monday. This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian President to the Eastern European country. Murmu will meet and hold delegation-level talks with her Moldovan counterpart, President Maia Sandu. She will also meet the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu. The President is also scheduled to interact with members of the Moldova-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, address a Business Forum, and meet with members of the Indian Community. "India and Moldova enjoy warm and friendly relations. This visit would mark a significant and historical milestone and elevate bilateral ties to a broad-based partnership," a statement issued by the Ministry of External .
Heat that hit Europe exceptionally early and hard this year appears to have led to a spike in deaths, with well over 10,000 more people dying at the height of the heat wave than would normally have been expected, according to figures that are still emerging across the continent. Measures of what researchers call "excess mortality" - the difference between the normally expected number of deaths and the actual number - spiked in late June, when parts of Europe experienced record temperatures. Experts caution that it takes a while for a full picture to emerge, and that many heat-related deaths will never formally be recorded as such. For example, a heart attack, which can be triggered by extreme heat exposure, especially in people who are older or have underlying health issues, may be listed on a death certificate simply as a heart attack. It's an alarming start to the summer. Several heat waves have killed thousands of people in the past few years in Europe. Still, 2003 stands as the
Sen. Lindsey Graham's pursuit of a Russia sanctions bill has taken on renewed urgency after his death as colleagues look to pay tribute and build on the progress he made in gaining the White House's support for the measure. Supporters of Ukraine have been working for more than a year to pass a bill that would impose steep tariffs on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports. They unveiled a revised measure Tuesday with the goal of depriving Russia of money it uses to fund its war against Ukraine. Some lawmakers worried the original bill was too broad and could harm the economies of some of the US' strongest allies that have also helped Ukraine. The White House wanted to ensure the president had adequate flexibility to waive sanctions when it is the national interest to do so. The revised bill attempts to address both concerns. The final bill more narrowly applies the tariffs to the world's top five purchasers of Russia oil or natural gas, according
France saw around 1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country's public health agency said Sunday, as Europeans elsewhere were suffering through yet another day of new temperature highs that sparked wildfires in Germany and had Berlin police using water cannons to cool down the crowds. Temperature records were toppled in several countries on the weekend as the heat wave slowly moved toward eastern parts of the continent. In Germany, a new night time temperature record was reported Sunday from Kubschutz, in eastern Saxony, where the temperature did not drop below 29.4 degrees Celsius. The nightly record came only hours after a daytime record of 41.5 C in Mockern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt, according to preliminary data by the German Weather Service DWD. The previous record was set a day earlier. A new study from the World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based collaboration of scientists, reported Friday that the record-breaking heat and ..
As a historic heat wave gripped Paris this week, fashion houses tried to keep their guests cool with ice packs, mist machines and iced Evian on silver platters. It wasn't enough: some venues still sweltered, water ran short and air conditioning was absent or inadequate. Then they sent their models down the runway in leather, neoprene and wool. That was the contradiction at Paris Fashion Week Men's, where a heat wave turned spring-summer fashion into a test of whether luxury can dress - or act - for the warming world it claims to address. "I honestly thought I was going to pass out," said Ben Freeman, a London-based fashion critic from Australia. Some in the front row said Paris may have to consider moving fashion week away from the height of summer if climate change keeps bringing more frequent and intense heat waves. "I don't know how the models did it this week in some of the leather and knit coats," said fashion student Thomas Levy, 24, outside one show. "The heat rarely seem